Die for helically fluting wire-stock.



G. H. BALLOU.

- DIE FOB HELIUALLY FLUTING WIRE STOCK. Y v nPLmu'Iox rum) JULY 22.1908.

r 946,631 Patented Jan. 13,1910.

FUSE, -1 v Q i FIE-E- INVENTEIR.

eaesr To all whom it may concern:

- CHARLES H. BALLOU, F N'QBTH ATTLEBORO, MASSACHUSETTS.

DIE FOR HELICALLY FLUTIN'G WIBE-BTOGK.

Specification of Letters .ratent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1910.

Application filed July 22, 1908. Serial No. 444,761.

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. BALmU,

' a citizen of the United States of America,

and a resident. of North Attleboro, in the county of Bristol and Stateof Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inDies for Helically Fluting.

Wire-Stock, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to means for mechanically andsimultaneously producing a plurality or series of longitudinallyextending helically or diagonally arranged parallel ribs and grooves inthe peripheral surface of round wire stock; the latter preferably beingquite thin and tubular, although solid wire may be employed.

The object I have in view is primarily to or series of dies, capable ofrapidly, accurately, and cheaply converting or. transforming the plainouter surface of a length of wire into a helicall 0 surface havingcomparatively shallow alternating ribs and grooves; the resultingproduct constitutes ornamental wire stock adapt L y "w rries wd I ed tobe severed into short lengths or units and em loyed in the manufactureof articles 0 jewelry, as for example, chains, necklaces, bracelets, &c.Tubes thus ornamented, when having materially greater diameter than.wire stock, may be used in the arts other than that of jewelry, such asshadetice to rods, outer sleeves for gas-tubing, &c.

I am well aware that it is a common pracprovide tubes and even solidwire stock with corrugations extending In such case the die forproducing the corrugations have the ribs and grooves thereof cut in thesurface of the die opening exactly parallel with the longitudinal axisof the latter. In producing such corrugated wire the die itself is fixedor immovable, and the or prepared forward end of the stock extendsthrough the dieso to be seized or gripped by suitably actuated jawswhich in retreating from the die draw the wire through the latter in awel-Lknown way. I am also aware that an integral wire having straightcorrugations or rooves, as just described, has been subsequently twistedso as to form a product having the appearance or imitation of aplurality of wires twisted together. Such former products and dies Ihereby disclaim.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings,

parallel g with the longitudinal axis of the wire.

Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a diedies revulubly mountedtherein; a portion of the holder ca and one of the dies be' broken away. ig. 2. is a corresponding to plan view. In this figure the wire orstoc is also represented in the act of being drawn through the firstdie, which action simultaneously converts the lain surface of the wireinto a series of he ically arranged ribs and grooves. Fig. 3 is atransverse section, in enlarged scale, taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig.4. 1s a back end elevation of the die member, a portion being brokenaway. Fig. 5 is a side view of a piece of thin plain tubular stock orwire havin a filler of wood or soft metal therein. Fig. 6 is an end viewof the same. Fig. 7 is a side view of the,-

wire after being acted upon by my improved die, and Fig. 8 is acorresponding en view.

Again referring to the drawings, a. designates the base or die-holdermember adapted to be rigidly secured in place in any suitable manner. Asdrawn it is provided with a series of four of my improved dies A, laterdescribed. The holder is counterbored from its front face or side tofreely receive the dies; each counterbore, a, extends rearwardly asuitable depth and terminates in the annular bottom groove 6 adapted toreceive a series of antifriction balls 0. The holder is also providedwith a hole 6 cx tending therethrough and being concentric with theoounterbore, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. I V

The die, A, is cylindrical and made of steel, hardened, and fitted torotate freely in said counterbored portion of the holder. The bottom orinner face of the die has an annular groove a, forming a fellow memberof the groove b", for the balls 0. The die is provided with the centraltransverse aperture e, constituting the die proper, terminating ormerging into the outwardly flaring mouth portion e. The said aperture eis in alinement with but. somewhat smaller in diameter than the hole I).The former, e, is provided with circumferentially spaced parallelalternating shallow ribs and grooves f (see also Fig. 4) extending in alongitudinal direction at an angle or diagonal with the bore or axis ofthe die and term:- nating in the said mouth portion e. See Fig. 3. Theribs and grooves of the die and the degree of their inclination withrespect to the dies longitudinal axis are adapted n any manner holder ispositioned with respect say to vided with gripping aws, as j, at theback if having its forward end portion reduced in the stationarydie-carrying holder" (see aring the helical flutings or corrugations k ar e 946,631

impress or form their counter art in the! sin walls of the tube orstock, t .e pitch of ire helix or screw of the several ribs and roovesat the same time being determined r gaged by and conforming to the said.icimation of the corresponding members f the die. I

The several dies A are maintained end" See in the normal position in theholder a y the removable ca member a secured iereto by screws 8. T. ecap has an opening, therethroug'n concentric with each die, its iameterbeing somewhat smaller than that f the die, all as clearly shown. I

It may be stated here that when seamless ain walled plain hollow wire,as t, Figs. and 6, is to be transformed into wire havits wall corrugatedwith circumfereni ly disposed helical ribs and grooves I irefer to fillthe bore of the tube. with some i oft -easily fusible metal, or evenwooden 'ods, as 10, may he used, before the tube is :ubjected to theaction of the dies, the said illing material being subsequently removedAssuming now that the die-carrying torn leting the product.

more fully formed, the last die of the series If desired the s toc maybe annealed from time to time during its transformation. The outerdiameter of the finished wireis by reason of the drawing processslightly less than that of the plain stock, the difference; however,being scarcely measureable on the drawings.

It may be added that the spirality or inclination of the ribs andmom-"es f of the die with respect to its longitudinal axis can be maderight or left as desirable. In the drawings, Fig. 3, they arerepresented as being left hand, thereby producing in the wire helicalribs and grooves or'flutings having a right hand inclination. See Figs.

'2 and 7.

I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by United StatesLettersPatentz- 1; The combination with a stationary holder having ahole extending transversely therethrough and counter-bored from thefront end thereof, of a revoluble die-member mounted in the saidcounter-bored portion, said die having a central transverse holeterminating in an outwardly flaring mouth,

the walls of the hole and mouth being proany well-known power drivendevice provided with a series of helically arranged of the holderadapted to grip the front end of the wire t about to be acted u on: thelatter, provided with the filler r V w and diameter, is now freelyinserted through the die and holder openings and gripped by the iawsj.As these gradually move away from rows Fig. 2) the said filled plainwire or stock t is forcibly drawn endwise in a nonrevolubie mannerthrough the die A. The die, however, rotates axially (see arrow Fig. 1}in conformity with and by the inclination of the ribs f, the latter'atthe same time form (Fir'. 8) in the stocks surface or wall and producingthe finished wire a n is of course understood that the filling w isremovedjrom the wire in any suitable way. In producing the said productIt I refer to employ a plurality of the dies A, t a openings 4; thereofvarying successively in a fiadually decreasing ratio or size in awellown manner. That is to say, the passage of the stock through thefirst die produces the initial corrugations; upon passing it through thenext die the corrugations are ribs and grooves, anti-friction ballsbetween and engaging the inner end of the die member and the adjacentend of the counterbore and a plate secured to the holder having an aerture therethrough registering with the dies mouth.

2. The combination. of a plurality of mounted independently revolubleannular dies, A, each having the wall of its bore or die part pro ermerging into an outwardly fiarin mout and provided with a series ofparalilal helically fluted ribs and grooves terminating in said mouth,thebore of the first die being slightly greater than that of the nextdie, and so on progressively in a decreasing order with respect to thenumber of dies, and means adapted when in use t3 e'wire oemg acte seizethe free end of t upon and forcibly draw it (the wire) nonrevolublythrough the die, substantially as described.

Signed at Providence, R. 1., this 21st day of July, 1908.

CHARLES H. BALLOU.

Witnesses:

Geo. H. Rams-run, Canvm H. Brown.

